


Nutrient Deficiency

by Carmailo



Series: Voltron One Shots [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anorexia, Eating Disorder, Gen, Platonic but open to interpretation, Triggers present
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 02:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11818986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmailo/pseuds/Carmailo
Summary: A relapse takes the whole team by surprise - even Lance.





	Nutrient Deficiency

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings: Anorexia, Eating Disorders.  
> Read at your own discretion.  
> Please comment if any tags can be added.

**TWs: Anorexia, Eating Disorders. If I missed any, please let me know in the comments below!**

\\\\\ 

He doesn’t mean to, but he does.

Lance’s vision disappears before he can register it’s gone, and his thoughts come to an abrupt stop, giving way to empty darkness.

He hears Hunk call out his name, and perhaps a few other voices, he’s not too sure, but then he’s disappearing into his own mind.

* * *

“...normal in no time at all.”

As Lance blinks the sleep from his eyes, bleary from over-resting, he tips forward, legs hesitating with lethargy. The ground rushes near with surprising speed, and, surely, he’s going to get a bloodied nose.

But he’s caught, caught by the strong, familiar arms of Hunk, who he leans against as he’s righted. “Hey, buddy,” he greets softly, squeezing Lance once, “how’re you feeling?”

“Shitty,” Lance groans, then, “hungry.”

Hunk purses his lips and nods. “What happened?” Lance prompts then, reaching up to rub at a sore spot on his head. 

Hunk looks to Shiro. “Let’s get you changed and fed, and then we can talk about it.”

Lance furrows his brow, but doesn't push. The firm concern in his friend’s voice stops him.

Hunk helps him change - there's not much of each other they haven't seen, having been friends for so long - and then takes most his weight as they head to the dining hall, where everyone else awaits their return.

He eats in silence, save for the occasional yelling Lance can barely hear coming from the hall, where Keith and Shiro converse.

When he’s nearly done, the two return, Keith red in the face, and Shiro with a stiff expression.

“How do you feel now?” The black paladin asks, coming to stop with his arms crossed. 

His expression softens the slightest at Lance, who beams. “Just dandy,” he smiles.

“We’ll leave you to it, then.” Allura says, and as she leaves the room everyone else, save for Lance and Shiro, does too.

“Leave us to what?” Lance asks slowly, feeling like a child who is about to be scolded.

“Lance, did Hunk tell you why you were in the pod?” Shiro asks with a sigh, face suddenly growing very, very exhausted.

“...no. You said you’d tell me.”

“You fainted.” Shiro says, dropping into the seat nearest Lance.

Lance’s spork slips from his fingers, landing on his plate with a clatter. “Wh-...” he swallows, picking up his utensil, “what caused it?”

“Nutrient deficiency.”

“O-oh,” Lance says, turning back to his nearly empty plate, “meaning?”

He knows, he does, he just wants to be sure. 

“Meaning you haven't been eating, at least properly.” Shiro says, still watching Lance with those ever-so-careful eyes.

And the pieces click into place. They know. The whole team knows about Lance’s slow relapse into habits he had thought he had overcome.

They're silent, waiting to see who’ll speak first.

In the end, it's Shiro, breaking the heavy silence with a thick voice. “What were you trying to accomplish?”

His tone, more vulnerable and unguarded than Lance has ever heard, is enough to moisten his eyes, enough make a little lump lodge itself in his throat. “I…” he chokes on the word, swallowing heavily.

“Hunk…” Shiro trails off, pausing to inhale deeply. He lets the breath out, regaining his composure.

“Hunk told us that something similar has happened in the past. He said you had gotten better, that you’d overcome this and were doing better… what’s going on, Lance?”

He loses it - loses his grip on his emotions. Something about Shiro’s voice, the worry that reminds him of his family… he can't help it as he starts to cry.

“I’m sorry,” he says, voice wet with tears, shoulders shaking. “I didn't mean to- I just- I-”

“It’s okay,” Shiro comforts, reaching out to grab Lance’s shoulder, “it’s alright.” 

“It's not! I did it again, it's not al-”

“It's okay.” now, Shiro pulls Lance into a hug, holding the younger paladin against his chest, rubbing patterns onto his back.

“Did you mean to? No. Will you get better? Yes. Because we’re all going to help you, and we know you can do it.” 

Lance shakes against Shiro’s chest, nodding at the assurances and gripping at his back. “I didn't mean to,” he says again, softer this time as his tears subside.

“That's okay. It's okay. You’ll get better.”

And he does.

There’s times he makes mistakes, times he falls back to his old ways, and there’s times where he doesn’t think he can do it.

But his team- his friends, his _family,_ are there with him, and he knows he’ll get better.

And he does.

**Author's Note:**

> OOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKKK  
> so  
> why? you ask  
> inspired by a few things, one of them VLD whump week (this IS NOT for it but I decided to write whump-y stuff after seeing it). One of them... personal experience.  
> Anorexia, while it seems like an "amazing" lifestyle choice, is VERY dangerous. If you're at the point where you're just "trying it out", get away. Get away now. Exercise, eat healthy. There are so many other ways to lose weight.  
> That thinspo shit? Lies. You won't be as lean as the people in those images- they have muscle. Anorexics are likely to lose muscle due to excessive fasting and not working out.
> 
> You are beautiful. If you're overweight- you're overweight! Big whup! Yeah, maybe it's not always the healthiest, but if you're able to function in your daily life and smile, then you're lovely!
> 
> If you're confident in yourself, then I'm confident in you. You are lovely. You are beautiful. You will get better.
> 
> To anyone struggling with anorexia, know this: you are compromising your future, health-wise. Talk to someone about it. Hell, talk to me. I'm more than happy to talk to you. If you wanna talk about your affinity for frogs, I'm your girl! Need help with your mental blocks? Guess what, I'm only an anonymous comment away.
> 
> You can do this.
> 
> \---  
> well  
> that was sort of sappy  
> and probably longer than the actual story  
> yolo  
> \---carmailoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
> 
> ps. i wrote this and finished it and thats the only reason i posted it  
> its not something that brought the usual "HECK YEA IM PUTTING MY WORK OUT THEre" feeling. just something i wrote as an exercise.


End file.
